


The Void is Hungry and Wants Chicken

by NoOneFrUkingCares



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Businessman Park Chanyeol, Byun Baekhyun & Do Kyungsoo | D.O Friendship, Byun Baekhyun is a Little Shit, Cat Kai, Cat Kim Jongin | Kai, How Do I Tag, I Blame Tumblr, M/M, Mentioned Tan (Xiumin's Cat), Painter Do Kyungsoo, Slice of Life, Veterinarian Byun Baekhyun, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-08
Updated: 2019-04-08
Packaged: 2020-01-06 15:18:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18391022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NoOneFrUkingCares/pseuds/NoOneFrUkingCares
Summary: Do Kyungsoo is not a cat person. Honestly he's not actually much of a pet person after the death of his first and last dogs as a child. So why in hell did Byun Baekhyun ever think that he would be the best option for taking care of a cat?





	The Void is Hungry and Wants Chicken

**Author's Note:**

  * For [extensive_scribe](https://archiveofourown.org/users/extensive_scribe/gifts).



> To my darling wifey. It was always for you. Thanks for everything regarding this and not.

   “Hey! Soo! Yah! I know you’re awake so let me in!” Kyungsoo finally sighs in annoyance, getting up from his comfortable armchair to go close the window that he stupidly thought would be nice to have open, but only serves to help him hear Baekhyun yelling his lungs off better.

   He sticks his hand out in a rude gesture before closing it, and Baekhyun yells something about being wounded before Kyungsoo abruptly slams the window closed and goes to buzz his “friend” in.

   “Hey, nice to see you again, Soo.” Baekhyun comes into his apartment with a bag big enough to fit a crunched up Chanyeol and a very shifty grin, and Kyungsoo immediately knows not to trust his now second to best friend.

   “What are you here for?” Kyungsoo gives the bag a long look to drive his point in, and Baekhyun immediately looks more guilty.

   “Well...”

   “I swear to god that if Chanyeol jumps out of that bag, I will run you through with a knife.”

   “Whoa! Okay, no need to be aggressive! Yeollie has a meeting today, he’s not here.” Baekhyun puts the bag down and raises his hands in the universal term for “I surrender,” and Kyungsoo concedes. It’s not like Baekhyun would be able to lift Chanyeol in a bag anyways, because despite what the miniature Empire State Building says, he’s actually really heavy. He can’t see what’s in the bag from the way Baekhyun’s placed it on the ground, but seeing how it slightly flops over the other way, he can conclude Chanyeol isn’t actually waiting in the bag ready to jump out and scare him like what they did during his birthday party.

   “Okay. Why are you, busy Dr. Byun, here during the middle of the day?”

   “Umm, well, you see.” Baekhyun looks really guilty as he tucks his hands together ready to start begging, and Kyungsoo sighs. He can’t be here to borrow money like in college, he’s dating a CEO, they’re dripping with cash, but it could always be a favour that somehow humiliates him. “Canyoupleasetakecareofthiscatformehe’sreallysweetandgentleIcan’ttakehimbecausethere’sanopetspolicyinourbuildingyoubarelyneedtodoanyworkI’llbeoverallthetimeIswewrpleaseIloveyousomuch.” Baekhyun spits everything out in one breath and Kyungsoo blinks, trying to make sense of the words.

   “What did you say?”

   “Umm, can you please take care of this cat for me?” Baekhyun senses the rejection already on Kyungsoo’s lips, and he falls to his knees, actually begging.

   “Please! He’ll die in the cold! I would take care of him but there’s a no pets rule in our building and I swear our superintendent wants to drive us out. He’s really nice and gentle and sweet, I promise on the ring I’m going to propose to Yeollie with in three years, please!”

   “How did you even come across this cat?” Kyungsoo asks, arms crossed as he stares down his friend, trying to betray no signs of breaking down.

   “I went out on my lunch break and there he was, abandoned at our door. I gave him a checkup, he’s completely healthy and litter box trained and everything. He just laid in the bed we got him and slept, he’s really gentle, I swear!” Baekhyun starts slowly reaching for the bag next to him, starting to pull a decent size shoe box out.

   “How old is he?” Kyungsoo asks, also starting to lower himself down to the ground. The way Baekhyun handles the shoe box implies there’s a cat inside, but is it alright to just put a cat inside a shoebox? Whatever, Baekhyun’s a veterinarian. He knows well enough.

    “About 2 years old, so he won’t be causing you much trouble. Want to see him?”

   “Sure.” Baekhyun slowly takes the lid off the shoe box to reveal a pile of pure black fluff. To Kyungsoo’s surprise, Baekhyun reaches into the pile of fluff and pulls out a cat, one with curious, blinking yellow eyes. He takes one look at Kyungsoo and burrows himself deeper into Baekhyun’s lap, even letting out a pitiful meow.

   “I don’t think he likes me.”

   “Don’t be stupid, he loves you! He didn’t make a single sound this whole day for anyone and as soon as he sees you he’s meowing? This is true love.” Baekhyun coos, gently stroking through the cat’s fur.

   “So what do I have to do as a cat owner?” Kyungsoo finally gives in, and Baekhyun immediately starting giving him a grin that makes Kyungsoo feel like he’s going to regret it.

   “Oh, I brought everything that you’ll need,” he says, pulling a cat bed out of the bag. “All you need to do is feed him,” two cat bowls, “give him water,” a whole bag of cat food, “and change his litter box.” Baekhyun then pulls out a litter box, scoop, and a bag of litter that is bigger than the actual bag. “Try to play with him, and here’s some shampoo and soap if you need to wash him, but like call me if you do. I’ll pop by like every other day to make sure you’re both alright.”

   Grinning, he picks up the ball of fluff and walks over to Kyungsoo, quickly depositing him into his arms. Kyungsoo stares into the cat’s eyes. He seems to be as terrified of this new prospect of Kyungsoo being a cat owner as much as Kyungsoo is.

   “See, you’re already bonding!”

   The cat lets out another meow that sounds more desperate than before and Kyungsoo agrees.

   “I really don’t think he likes me.”

   Baekhyun scoffs, pulling out some towels and brushes and a lint roller from the bag, before finally folding the mysterious transportation device up and shoving it into his pocket.

   “Don’t be silly. Just think of him as a high-maintenance plant. You’re good at keeping them alive, so it’s not that big of a stretch."

   “Fine. Does he have a name?”

   Baekhyun’s face goes momentarily dark as he speaks again, getting to his feet.

   “The note from the person that abandoned him said his name was Jongin, but I renamed him Kai because Jongin seems like too weighty of a name.” Jongin, or Kai rather, finally decides that enough is enough and slowly slips out of Kyungsoo’s arms like a furry eel, headed down the hall for Kyungsoo’s bedroom. Kyungsoo sighs and also gets up.

   “And what would you have done if I didn’t say yes?”

   Baekhyun shrugs and smiles again, mood back to normal. “I probably would’ve tried to convince Minseokkie to take him during the company party after work. The problem is that he already owns a cat, so I really don’t think he would say yes.”

   Kyungsoo stares down at the mess Baekhyun’s made of his living room and Baekhyun notices, starting to edge towards the door.

   “Well, thank you for taking him, Soo. I’ll be back in a few days to check up on you, gotta go back to work and all that. See ya!” Before Kyungsoo can protest anything, he’s out the door, already gone.

   Kyungsoo sighs as he picks up the two bowls and the food. He’s going to need a lot of YouTube instruction for this.

 

  
   Despite now owning a cat, the first two days passes by like he was now a roommate to a ghost, leaving only miniature traces of its existence, like empty food bowls and bits of cat hair everywhere.

   Kyungsoo could call for the cat, but he feels like Kai wouldn’t answer and it’s kind of weird to do that. At the very least, what Baekhyun said about him being a gentle cat was right.

   Kyungsoo thinks it’s lucky that his wardrobe is mostly black anyways when he finds the sleeping cat in one of the drawers inside his closet, resting right on top of his pants. He doesn’t bother wondering how Kai got in there. Cats have a way of getting places they shouldn’t be.

 

  
   Actually true to his word for once, Baekhyun visits during his lunch break two days later, bringing a fresh smell of rain and cat treats. Kai also decides to make an appearance during the day, curling up in Baekhyun’s arms as he greedily takes in all the petting he can get.  
   

   “Well, some cats just need time to get acquainted with their surroundings. Kai’s just getting used to his new home.” Baekhyun says calmly, scratching behind Kai’s ear.

   “It’s like living with a ghost. He’s nonexistent and the few times I’ve seen him around, it’s either because it was at night or it was his tail brushing around a corner.” Kyungsoo complains, sipping his cup of tea.

   “Maybe I should’ve named him the void instead. It makes more sense especially with what you’re telling me.”

 

~~~~~  
    Kyungsoo starts to refer to Kai as the void in his head. It’s somehow very fitting. He’s a void of colour and a void in his apartment that never appears. But Kyungsoo’s gotten used to this life of living with a silent ghost. Kai’s never around to get washed or brushed so Baekhyun ends up doing it for him, and all he really does is fill up the water and food bowl and change the litter box. It’s like he’s gotten away with only doing the easy parts of being a pet owner and avoided the hard parts.  
   

   Eventually, like always, Baekhyun and Chanyeol have to go to a meeting outside of Korea for a few days, as the CEO and his partner for the less meeting stuff and more dinner stuff. Before, it didn’t matter. Kyungsoo’s life doesn’t revolve around Baekhyun and Chanyeol’s work schedule. Unfortunately, now that he has a cat, it seems like it does.

 

   “Look, you sure you have to be gone an entire week? Don’t you have work?”

   Baekhyun sighs over the call, and Kyungsoo watches as he throws another half folded shirt into his suitcase.

   “You know I have to.” Indeed Kyungsoo did. Baekhyun has a charm that makes you want to like him, and combined that with Chanyeol’s business sense, made them two of the best over-glorified not door to door salesman that ever existed. Apparently about 50% of their deals get sealed before the second course is even announced whenever Baekhyun is there, which surprises Kyungsoo because in his personal experience, it should be at least 85%.

   “Fold that shirt properly.” Kyungsoo slightly snaps, and Baekhyun rolls his eyes, pulling the shirt back out of the suitcase.

   “Yes, mother.”

   Silence spreads for a few seconds as Baekhyun refolds the shirt and Kyungsoo dabs another colour onto the painting, adding the gentle shades to another black suit.

   “Look, Kai’s bound to warm up to you soon, take this time to get to know him. You just need to figure out what he likes.”

   “Well, I know what he doesn’t like.”

   “Yeah yeah. If you want, I’ll video call every day and like during that time you can try to get some brushing done. You should also start brushing his teeth, I can’t do that forever for you.” Kyungsoo rolls his eyes as Baekhyun throws his words from college back at him.

   “Shut up.”

   “Oh, you do recognise the quote! Don’t be mad, Soo. I bought you some fried chicken because you’re too good for that completely unhealthy stuff now. Have some chicken. Lighten up.” The doorbell rings just as Baekhyun finishes saying that, and Kyungsoo slowly puts down his brush and palette.

   “Are you going to hang up as soon as I leave the screen so you can keep packing without worrying about messy clothes?” Baekhyun winks.

   “You know it.”

   Kyungsoo sighs and waves as he gets up to get the chicken, and true to his word, Baekhyun’s gone when he comes back.

    Reluctantly, he cleans up so his paint doesn’t dry out while hopefully the canvas does, and closes the door to his painting room once more. Walking out, he nearly stumbles over a furry body that he hasn’t seen for a few days.

   “Oh hi. Haven’t seen you in awhile.” Kyungsoo gingerly steps around the void, taking especial care to not step on his tail as it whooshes around, following Kyungsoo’s every move. Well, now the void is following him. What is he supposed to do?

   The void follows Kyungsoo to the kitchen table and watches as he places the bag of chicken on the table, tail slightly flicking back and forth.

   Kyungsoo makes a few life decisions as he stares into the void. The void meows back and wants fried chicken.

   “Do you want some chicken?” Kyungsoo asks the void.

   The void meows back and Kyungsoo takes it as a yes and gets up to get a plastic plate. He puts some chicken on the plate before gently, gently lifting Kai onto the table next to the plate. Kai blinks at the chicken before turning to Kyungsoo and blinking at him.

   “You wanted some chicken.” Kyungsoo gestured at the chicken and Kai meows again as if in thanks before quickly digging into the chicken.

   It’s not like a black cat eating chicken is going to do too much to his house. Kyungsoo decides it’s safe enough to grab his phone and he video calls Baekhyun again. Predictably, Baekhyun answers it as a voice call, most likely so he wouldn’t be seen more or less shoving clothes in without regard for how they look.

   “I didn’t expect you to call again so fast. I haven’t even left my room yet, much less Korea.”

   “Are cats allowed to eat fried chicken?”

   “Is Kai eating it right now?”

   “...Yes.”

   “What parts of the chicken is he eating?”

   “Just the meat. He’s eating around the breaded stuff and bones.”

   Baekhyun sounds like he’s visibly relaxing, tone quickly becoming calmer as the shuffling in the background starts up again.

  “It’ll be fine. Don’t feed him it on a regular basis, but since you barely eat it yourself it doesn’t sound like it’s a problem. He’s probably eaten it before seeing how he’s avoiding the bones and breaded skin.”

   “I should’ve called you before I gave him the chicken, I’m sorry.”

   “Well, you did call me, so it’s fine. Besides, it sounds like you finally found something that he likes.”

   Kyungsoo glances over at the void again, staring into his soul next to a pile of skin and bones. He asks for more and Kyungsoo sighs before obliging, peeling the skin off for his cat this time.

   “Yeah. It seems like I did.”

 

  
   Baekhyun comes over for one last bath before he gets on the plane out of Korea, luggage in tow and a tie hanging around his neck.

   “You’re going to give a cat a bath, and then get on a plane in a formal suit?”

   Baekhyun shrugs as he rolls up his sleeves.

   “Yeah. What’s so bad about it? I’ve done it several times, and I’ve mastered the art of not getting cat fur on my suit.” Baekhyun briskly picks up Kai without ceremony, and he protests by rubbing himself all over Baekhyun and then jumping straight into Kyungsoo’s open arms.

   “See, he likes you!” Baekhyun points at the disgruntled cat, and Kyungsoo responds by looking at the black fur that had attached itself to all over Baekhyun’s suit.

   Kyungsoo bathes Kai for the first time, gently cleaning as Baekhyun directs him from where he’s lint rolling the fur off of himself on the toilet.

 

   Later in the evening when Kyungsoo has sat down for his daily book, Kai appears out of nowhere to rest himself in Kyungsoo’s lap, letting himself be gently pet as Kyungsoo continues to read. He disappears again for bed, but Kyungsoo sees him sleeping properly on his own cat bed for the first time when he gets up for a cup of water later.

   Kai slowly starts seeking Kyungsoo out during the day instead of staying away, gently plopping into his lap as if he was always there, cuddling or curling around him in weird and or slightly uncomfortable positions, and starting to act less like the void and more like a cat. It’s only after the fourth time in two hours that Kai nearly spills Kyungsoo’s cup of tea that Kyungsoo finally picks Kai up and doesn’t bother to put him down again.

   After this, Kai now decides everything that Kyungsoo has is his, and finally lets go of all his reservations. Kyungsoo wakes up with a new furry eye mask that he never asked for and over the course of the day nearly eats Kai’s tail, does a complicated tap dance in order to keep from stepping on him several times, and gets attacked by a flying furry projectile.

   It’s only after Kyungsoo discovers colourful paw prints walking around his painting room that he finally accepts something that he had realised a few hours ago but didn’t want to accept. Byun Baekhyun is nothing but a filthy filthy liar. Kai is the most mischievous cat he has ever met.

   Even as he realises so, Kai jumps out of the bath still fully bubbly and soapy purely to mess with him and Kyungsoo dies a little inside as he chases a wet cat around his apartment.

 

~~~~~  
   “Hey Kyungsoo!” Kyungsoo turns at the sound of his name and smiles as he regards Minseok walking towards him, looking impeccable as always.

   “Oh, Minseok. It’s nice to see you again. How have you been?”

   “Better now that you’ve rescued me from an uncomfortable conversation. You seem to be a little lonely over here, how have you been?”

   Kyungsoo nods in a so-so sort of way and hands the plate he was stealing from to Minseok, who also starts eating the finger sandwiches like he hadn’t seen food for a week. Considering what he does, that might not be such a far off assumption.

   “It would be better if I know why I’m here. I don’t work in this company and I didn’t know it was open to outsiders.”

   “But we love you, Soo!” Baekhyun has arrived, Chanyeol in tow, the giant looking like Baekhyun like he was a bee following his honey, full of teeth-rottenly sweet love.

   “You’re disgusting.” Kyungsoo says and Minseok nods in agreement, swallowing a mouthful of sandwich and handing the empty tray off to a waiter.

   Baekhyun and Chanyeol brush it off like it’s nothing and Chanyeol drapes himself over Baekhyun, leaning on his boyfriend in a way that looks like he’s trying to trap him in a prison of limbs.

   “So, where did you get that scarf, Soo? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you wear something so furry.” Chanyeol slightly jumps when a face appears from the furry scarf, and then springboards off of Kyungsoo into Minseok’s arms, who gently strokes the cat.

   “He wouldn’t let me leave him.” Kyungsoo sighs as Chanyeol and Baekhyun stare at each other like they just got a brilliant, and dangerous, new idea.

**Author's Note:**

> I dunno. Cat Jongin is just somehow a really appealing idea, especially since everyone knows he's a dog person. He would make a really good cat though, just saying. 
> 
>  
> 
> (Also if you like it please comment and tell me. I am small and want affection.)


End file.
